Virginia Rules curriculum has recently been updated to reflect law changes since 2020. All 26 topic materials have been updated – with new law changes and with updated statistics. You’ll be notified when the new lessons are available; be sure to sign up. If you have any questions, please contact Mark Fero at MFero@oag.state.va.us.

MODULE CHANGES

Alcohol, Tobacco and Marijuana: Laws related to marijuana possession and consumption have been moved from Drugs – Overview to the newly named Alcohol, Tobacco and Marijuana module. (2020: HB 972/SB 2. Possession and consumption of marijuana; penalty.)

Opioids: The Heroin module has been renamed Opioids and its material has been broadened to include illicit and prescription opioids, including information on fentanyl.

The Wrong Family (Gangs) & The Hardest Hit (Heroin): These video modules have been deleted.

SELECTED LAW CHANGES

This is not a comprehensive list, but highlights some of the recent law updates that affect the Virginia Rules curriculum.

• HB 35/SB 103. Juvenile offenders; parole. (2020)Teens and Violence
• HB 618/SB 179. Hate crimes; gender, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation; penalty. (2020) multiple modules
• HB 972/SB 2. Possession and consumption of marijuana; penalty. (2020) multiple modules
• SB 667. Arrest and prosecution when experiencing or reporting overdoses. (2020) multiple modules
• HB 904. Child abuse and neglect reporting; public sports programs.(2020) Family Relationships and the law
• HB 2263/SB 1165. Abolition of the death penalty. (2021) multiple modules
• HB 2312/SB 1406. Marijuana; legalization; retail sales; penalties. (2021) multiple modules
• HB 4/SB 36. School principals; incident reports. (2022) Student Responsibilities

FOR MORE INFORMATION

To see a full list of each year’s legislative changes, you can view them online:

• In Due Course: 2020 Changes to Virginia’s Laws
• In Due Course: 2021 Changes to Virginia’s Laws
• In Due Course: 2022 Changes to Virginia’s Laws
• DJJ 2020 Legislative Handbook
• DJJ 2021 Legislative Handbook
• DJJ 2022 Legislative Handbook

There is no new update to the Virginia Juvenile Law Handbook; 2017 is the latest version.